As we continued in James, specifically James 2:14-22, Pastor Josh Galgan challenged us further in what it means to live as a Christ follower.

He gave the scenario we have all encountered, the non-believer who has a disdain for the church and God because of things they see as not “right” in our Christian culture. The hypocrisy, the judgment, the hurt they’ve experienced all instead of the love they should have received. We are faced with their question of “why do I want to enter this faith if I don’t want to be like you, a Christ follower?”

James wants us to live the reality of our faith through a changed life. Josh went took it a step further to explain that works justify our faith to man. How we act demonstrates that we are different. His hope for us is that we live out James 2:22 in our lives.

As you continue through this week think of ways you demonstrate your faith. Leave us some of your experiences.

Also, don’t forget to join us Sunday for our Homeless Outreach, (we meet at 4 to prepare sack lunches and head downtown around 6:30) and continuation of our journey through James with Pastor Jonathan Stroud.

We were blessed to have guest speaker Justin Powell give his insight on the book of James this last week. Honing in on James 2:1-13, Justin challenged us to find Jesus in the “least of these” and to check our prejudices, even when it comes to new believers.

He also shared this video with us:

Looking for a way to apply this to your life?

Justin prepared follow up questions. Leave a comment and we’ll email them to you.

Last night, we continued our study of the questions Jesus asks us in Matthew 11:1-19. We talked about the things for, what John’s disciples were searching for, and what Jesus says we should seek (Matthew 6:33). Let us know what you think about the passage and about your searching in a comment.

After a rockin’ night of karaoke and costumes last weekend, we have another event planned for this week. Be there!

Uprising’s Beginning of Fall Bonanza (Friday, September 26th at 6PM)
We’ll be meeting up on Friday night at the Nickerson’s for taco salad and autumn hijinks! Bring your bathing suit for a dip in the hot tub. The fun starts at 6:00! You will find a map here.

On Sunday night, Randy challenged us to consider how much and with what we trust our Savior. In our second question from Jesus, we looked at Matthew 6:25-34 and talked about trusting the Giver, not the gift. If you have thoughts on this passage or about trusting Jesus, let us know here with a comment.

Tonight we began a series about questions that Jesus asks us, beginning with, “What makes you different?” We read from the opening chapter of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:43-48). If you have any thought on this questions or passage, let us know by writing a comment.